I’m a 30 year old woman who’s only really played card and puzzle games on my phone. Im considering new hobbies. Is it worth trying to get into video games for the first time. Where would I even start.
Yes games are fun. I made friends, had so many memorable adventures with complete strangers, managed to keep in touch with family and close ones no matter the distances.
Honestly its about how you want to game, do you like something chill? Or something more like adventurous? How long do you see yourself playin? Something that is played on a desk or a couch? Do you like “gamey games”, or do you like realism in your games?
First, you need a system if you dont have one. A system is needed to run a game.
If you are a comeplete beginner the switch by nintendo is in my experience a great onboarding experience, but that might be a bit expensive in the long run once you accumulate games. The system is a bit underpowered, but delivers such great experiences through their exclusive nintendo game titles. Great on the go, light, great for couch co-op, has online play.
Playstation and xbox are very easy to manage, and deliver more on the realism side of games while still having great gamplay first experiences. Its honestly a great balance, old ones are just as great since the old games are cheap and usually have great classics. (Warning about compatibility though). Couch gaming, has online gaming and couch+online coop.
The PC is extreme: its kinda hard to build the right machine for your needs, it can deliver whatever experience you want (it can basically “cheat” and pretend to be a playstation or switch gameboys etc through emulation, a process that is not very beginner friendly), has ALL the games (except the latest nintendo ones, except through the mentioned emulation) but can be pretty expensive if you want a high quality graphical performance to the point where you can see a cyborg sweat running down his firm and physics enhanced abs. You use launchers to go to an online store to buy games that you have to find on the internet and download, like Steam (my fav) Epic (they give a free non freemium game each week I believe!) Gog (very privacy, and consumer oriented ) and many others. Some miscreants will tell you that you can (gasp!) Pirate (arr) games, so a good system could potentially cost less in the long run! Its more of a gaming on desk unless you dont mind having a big PC next to your tv. Couch co op games are rare, but the online experience is really good.
My two cents, get minecraft if you like legos. You can also make it prettier on PC. It runs well on even old laptops. Its a great entry for anyone. If its not what you are looking for, you can look up what youd like!
Also please newcomer, do not EVER pay for the microtransactions, for they plague us all. Games should be about fun, not a tool for extracting wealth from people who just want to go on cool adventures, explore strange worlds, meet interesting characters or experience lives never lived.
I wanted to make this shorter but I get excited about theses things. Gl hf!
How about the steamdeck-like, for.PC gamas. The Pros and Cons.
I actually own a steam deck! Its a great system, that runs on Linux, so there is a little bit of tinkering and buyers awareness to get through as not all games on steam run on it easily.
The catalogue compatible with just one tap/click is still growing, but you still have to use the proton tool before launching a game that is windows based. Some online games are also protected with some anti cheat software that may or not stop you from playing your favorite online games. Its also a handheld, so unless you plan on connecting the steam deck to a screen and bringing out a keyboard for your keyboard based game, you are going to have a bad time. (Note, there is a virtual keyboard thay pops up if need to enter some text occasionally).
The thing that attracted me to the deck, is the fact that you can actually launch the steam deck in desktop mode, that gives you access to a fully functioning linux system. There, you can also download your games from other launchers/stores and link them to your steam game library and access them through the non desktop mode.
This means that with some more tinkering (kinda alot actually, i wont lie), you can turn the steam deck into the ultimate emulator for any switch/some ps3 games and lower (as in raw processing power, so gameboy, gamecube, ps1, ps2, xbox etc) on the go. You also get a rather powerful computer for an amazing price point,at the cost of an hdmi/usb/ethernet dongle or dock. Since its a computer in the shape of a hanheld console, you can dualboot windows if you wanted.
The other very cool thing, is that you can use steam to stream your games from your gaming pc right to your tv by using your steam deck as a streaming game console, which is amazing and in the end extends your desk PC capacity to offer the best couch gaming experience with no drawbacks if it wasnt for the whole ensemble price. Also the trackpads are a very cool addition to the gamepad layout, amd it has extra buttons on the back! Since it has bluetooth, you can also just get a controller and let it chill next to your tv.
You can configure it the way you want, you can apply cool mods, change components within pretty easily (some ppl buy the cheapest version then upgrade the hardware to save money!) And since its a steam hardware product that has successfully proven itself to enough ppl, the support its gonna be getting is very exciting.
To me the problem of the Steam deck is the time and tinkering that it requires to setup this perfect machine, but its a new system, and emulation is in a gray zone legally in many countries so it will probably always require some amount of tinkering. (There are vids online that take you through it, its absolutely doable but can be a barrier for some newcomers) You can manage well the battery, but it drains rather fast. If you dont like steam, idk if this product is right for you, but you can install windows or another linux distro if youd like. (Level 3 tinkering right there)
I love my steam deck, and actually do work on it occasionally, which got me more comfy with the linux ecosystem (but this is about just using linux as an operating system so im gonna stop here). Its the best for the indie games on steam as long as they have gamepad support and are compatible with or without the proton tool.
Now for the other handheld PCs, I cant speak. I heard that some are very powerful, more than the steam deck by quite alot, however imo they are held back by being run on windows, an Operating System that is not made for such a device, but will absolutely get you through the anti cheat headaches that a steam deck might have.
They also have a 1080 p screen for the fancy ones, but this impacts battery.
You can install chimera OS or Bazzite if you want the linux experience, and the Steam Os (on the steam deck) is coming soon (its gonna be a while though).
So yeah im gonna stop there cuz i cant stop talking about this thing.
very informative. thx.
I’d say start with some of the most popular games, like Mario and Pokemon. Those are the two biggest video game franchises in the world, they’re very accessible and even decades later still a ton of fun.
edit: FWIW, Nintendo is a problematic video game company and trying to destroy video game preservation of their games (and trying to prevent community-run video game competitions/tournaments of their games), but they still have made some of the best video games of all time.
I just realized that the most obvious choice for new players is Stardew Valley. I never really thought about it. Even newer Mario or Minecraft could be a barrier. Controlling cameras can be confusing and difficult for newer players. Stardew doesn’t require you to be good at twin stick mechanics (although that is used for the slingshot if you want to do that). It gives you lots of encouragement and is very straightforward with missions. The screen is never cluttered with junk or pop-ups. It gets more complex as you progress but you’ll never be “stuck”. The fishing and fighting games teaches how to use button control and timing. Everything feels rewarding like you are making progress. Not to mention it’s pretty universally loved and will run on almost any PC and is available on all consoles or tablet or mobile devices
Very much so. As people have mentioned there’s a lot of good advice here. A Nintendo Switch might be worth checking out as a starting point. It’s handheld and can also connect to your TV to play on a larger screen.
They can tell wonderful stories if you pick the right ones. Personally I find Disco Elysium to be particularly good at this.
Try out open-source games too, not just the big corporate games. Space Station 14, OpenTTD, Endless Sky, Naev, plenty of choices. Saw someone here rant about how the “videogames industry has become very rotten” and decided I’d point you to a non-rotten part of it.
Yes. Start with Stardew Valley or Animal Crossing. From there, post threads asking for suggestions based on what you liked.
Just avoid games that cost a lot or have lots of micro transactions. Its like smoking cigarettes, better to not start.
It’s definitely worth trying if you’re interested.
I would not recommend buying a console or gaming PC first as that is a money sink that you’re not sure is worth it yet. My gaming PC broke when I arrived at university, and I got by playing less graphically intensive games on my standard laptop for a few years.
Good games I’d recommend to start with:
- Stardew Valley — cosy, charming farming game that you can play at your own pace. Has great characters that you get to know, and fun, simple, rewarding gameplay. My girlfriend got really into this game.
- Minecraft — this is where many of us started as kids. It’s an excellent game that’s fun for all ages. There isn’t a clear goal so it’s more about making your own fun.
- Vampire Survivors — extremely fun, simple, cheap, and addicting game. Play at your own risk.
- LIMBO — a puzzle game classic with a unique, dark aesthetic. Only takes a couple of hours to complete.
- INSIDE — made by the same people as Limbo. Grabbed me and wouldn’t let go for the whole 4 hour experience. I don’t play many puzzle games but I couldn’t get enough of this one. Probably because of the narrative.
Those can all be played on the average laptop or desktop anyone would have.
Best of luck on your journey! Feel free to reply with any questions or suggestions for specific genres and such. My girlfriend didn’t play video games until I introduced them to her, and the most important thing was that I didn’t try to force any games on her, just show her what there was and let her interest lead the way. So take a look at all the suggestions people are leaving and go with what interests you most. And if you’re not enjoying a game, it’s okay to go play a different one.
(Also, Steam provides free, no-questions-asked refunds for any games purchased that both 1) were bought less than 2 weeks ago, and 2) have less than 2 hours of game time. So you can always demo a game to see if you like it and return it easily if not.)
I’d also add Balatro and Terraria to that list.
Balatroncould be good. Terraria I think is a bit tricky to learn unless you have a friend guiding you. It requires a lot of looking up the wiki which I think isn’t ideal for someone getting into video games.
Oh, yeah that’s true.
Stardew can be a bit slow and boring at the beginning
Agree with this. Stardew Valley and many games can be found on mobile and quite popular with the gaming community. I am not sure as a beginner player I would start off with Stardew Valley as there are a lot of mechanics? Would recommend more of the below as there are not as many things to figure out:
High recommendations for Vampire Survivors. There is a demo with that link as well as direct app access.
Additionally, Animal Crossing Pocket Camp for $20 come December is great intro. Super relaxing game.
100% recommend Slay the Spire as well.
For games without a mobile option, I feel like Portal 1 and Portal 2 are must plays for anyone. And are not too graphically intense for any computer. Its a puzzle game. You run and jump into portals to figure out the puzzles. I wish I could play them again for the first time. All the above are amazing games. Wishing you the best on your journey!
P.S. if you have a friend to game with, It Takes Two is a pleasant experience.
Everyone has different preferences, so it can be difficult to judge what you may like or dislike. Even in gaming, there are such disparate subcommunities that one subcommunity may not even know of the existence of another. I personally prefer slow paced, artistic, single player games and I can’t stand multi-player games, much less competitive ones.
So my answer is there’s likely something for you somewhere, but without more information, I wouldn’t know how you would begin finding that something
Slay the Spire is a card based video game.
I think these types of games would be a great place to start; maybe even something like Inscryption since it shows how deep games can be even when they appear to start off fairly simple.
And it’s on mobile so she can start there without buying any new hardware
Get a switch lite, yeah. I highly recommend playing star fox 64, Pokemon stadium, and the older legend of Zelda games. They are very good entry points into gaming and are all available via a Nintendo online membership.
Video games are great and there is something for everyone.
But without more info, it is hard to advise.
Got an ex Nintendo Switch and Zelda breath of the wild. It was beautiful seeing her get into it.
Sure! Are there any that interest you? There are many genres and types.
I’m a 30-something woman myself. I’ve been gaming longer than I’ve had a phone. Here’s my two cents:
You’re already into videogames. Fuck what the haters say about mobile gaming not being “”“true”“” gaming (whatever the heck that means), they’re just sour they can’t game whenever wherever without investing a ton of time. Then again, maybe I’m just mad because I’ve recently invested a ton of time into Youtube’s playables.
If you want to get into PC or console gaming, I recommend starting off with popular E rated games in the genres you already know you like. Generally these games are more complex than mobile games, but this type will usually introduce difficulty curves to gradually transition you into their mechanics and complexity and teach you to be a master without having to look up training online.
If you want to branch out, start with genre-bending/-blending games. I’m personally a fan of puzzle-platformers, as those are my two favorite genres; while I’m not big on card games, they recently had an explosion in popularity, so there’s a blend of just about every genre you could want.
If you want to try an FPS, the original Half-Life is amazing (if visually dated), and was designed to ease the player into the experience as opposed to something like Doom or Dusk that throws you into the action without any tutorials. I’m biased though, Half-Life is my favorite FPS of all time lol.
It goes on sale for around $2 regularly, which is a nice bonus. I second the Portal and Stardew recommendations of others too.
Half-life is good – I played it recently – but I think it relies on having a bit of skill already, it’s not a great choice for a beginner in my opinion. I would suggest Minecraft (if you’re creative) or Portal (if you like puzzles) instead, to learn the ropes of how to control a game in first-person perspective.
